rascalsmom

We are now several days past the draining, and while it's still there, it is greatly reduced in size. Ruby seems much more comfortable now, and is eating better. Her neck injury is giving her some issues in the back end and we are taking it one day at a time, but at least the mucocele is much smaller.

I have a similar problem....Ruby is unsteady, and Jack is like a bull in a china shop. Even going through the door can be treacherous for Ruby, if Jack is nearby. Anytime you want to whine, you know how to find me.

I don't live in MA, but I do have a dog with corns on three feet. Hulling can sometimes give them temporary relief, but in my experience, there is NOTHING that gets rid of corns. Some things I've tried: --special cream from Murray Ave. Apothecary --bee propolis --bag balm --hulling --duct tape None makes the corns go away permanently. My vet has suggested surgery on the worst one, but she admits that they come back "about 50% of the time" after surgery. NOT good enough odds. What we are doing now is giving Jack generic Rimadyl twice daily. That's it. In light of my Ruby's accident six weeks ago, Jack's corns have largely been ignored (I was using duct tape and trying to dig them out myself at the time), and he is really no worse since then. Good luck. Corns are the work of the devil!!

Oh no Robin....no.....

If you have had a pet euthanized at home, please respond. I have two 12 year old dogs, sisters, and both have issues. Rascal has cancer, and Ruby has a recent neck injury. I have spoken with my vet, and she's willing to come to our house when 'the time' comes. She will need notice, of course, since she just can't carry those drugs around; and it will have to be on her day off of course. Fortunately she lives nearby, so the distance won't be an issue for her. Anyway, I think the time *may* be approaching for Ruby. Despite an incredible rally after her injury, she seems to be going downhill the past week or so. She is not eating as well, and therefore losing some weight again. Also, she is tired. Very tired. I am starting to see it in her eyes--she might not have a lot of fight left in her. One of my concerns about euthanizing her at home is my other dogs. Her sister, Rascal, of course (and her days are probably numbered as well ) but more so Jack. Jack is apparently quite attached to Ruby--evidenced by him acting totally whacked out when she was in the hospital; he is just now (about 6 weeks post-accident) acting normal again. If you've had this done at home, what did you do with your other dogs? Will this be traumatic for Jack? Should he be present, or in another room? Is it better to do this at the vets? Thanks.

A tiny bit of good news....last night the 'ranula' started draining on its own. There was thick, ropey, pinkish stuff coming out of it. It is now a LOT smaller than the photo shows, but still there. I don't think the vet sees surgery as an option for Ruby, given her other issues.

Like Ruby hasn't had enough trouble lately, now she has this salivary mucocele under her tongue. Over the weekend, it has gotten a bit larger. Ruby's saving grace is that number one, it is on the side of her mouth--so her airway won't be obstructed; and number two, she is missing most of the bottom teeth in that area. Our vet told us that they will 'often' resolve on their own, though it may take several weeks....it's been at least a week already, since I noticed it. She also said that surgery 'usually' doesn't fix the problem--so understandably, I am not anxious to put Ruby (and us) through that if it's not going to fix it. The vet did try draining it last week, but Ruby was having none of that! The vet said they generally just fill up again anyway. I feel so bad for Ruby...first her neck injury, and now this. It's got to be uncomfortable. Has anyone dealt with one of these, and if so, what did you do?

I'm so very sorry to hear about this.

No advice, Robin, but I'm praying it's NOT osteo.

Ruby saw the vet today, and she (the vet) could not believe poor Ruby had yet another problem. She said Ruby does, indeed, have a mucocele, or ruptured salivary duct (gland?). She tried draining it, but Ruby would not hold still (can't blame her there!). Anyway, she said it would probably just fill up again even if she did drain it. Two things are in Ruby's favor: it's on the side of her mouth, not near the back--near the back, it could obstruct her breathing. Also, she doesn't have any teeth on the bottom, on that side (at least no teeth where the mucocele is), so she won't be biting it. Dr. B said to give it 'several weeks', that they will often resolve on their own. If it suddenly gets a lot worse, then surgery would be indicated--but Dr. B also said surgery does not usually solve the problem, and is 'a real bloody mess'. So that was a good visit--nothing major to worry about, just keep an eye on it; hold off on hard treats for awhile, too. AND....Ruby is now 55.6 pounds!! : She's gone from 61 pounds before her accident, to 52.4, now up to 55.6!! GREAT news!

Well that sounds encouraging--or at least not too DIScouraging! Do you think he may have LS in his back end?

Before we adopted our first greyhound, that was our (MY) biggest issue, too. We had two cats at the time. I talked to various folks from the adoption group about it (including GT's own queenwinniesmom's DH, Doug), and got a lot of reassurance. We ended up adopting Rascal, who was a foster of Doug and Nancy. They had a bunch of cats at the time, so we were pretty darn sure she'd be OK with our two cats. The best thing is to get a dog who's been fostered with cats--and talk to the foster parents about that dog. When we brought Ruby home, she was not in a foster home with cats, and her first impulse was to BARK at the cat, and try and chase him. I made a frantic phone call to Doug, and he told me to calm down, muzzle Ruby, keep telling her NO CAT when she looked at the cat--and Ruby was ignoring the cat within the hour [she had passed her 'cat test', but just was not used to them]. Really, the BEST WAY is to go for a fostered dog. The particular cat, of course, will come into play--but at least you'll know the dog you are interested in is NOT interested in cats!

On Saturday I noticed a 'swelling' under Ruby's tongue. My husband said don't worry about it, maybe she got a bee sting or something...but by Sunday it was still swelled up. So far it's not interfering with her eating, but it looks horrible, and NOT normal. So this morning I Googled "lump under dog's tongue" and came up with a salivary mucocele, or ranula. It really looks like that could be what it is, and it said they can be caused by trauma. Makes sense. Anyway, Ruby is seeing her vet tomorrow morning. I just hope they can treat this medically, NOT surgically. She has been through enough already!!

Thought I'd update on Jack. He seems to be pretty much 'normal' now. It is quite obvious that his 'normality' is directly linked to Ruby's well-being. As she has recovered from her neck injury, he has proportionately become more normal. She is now about 98% of where she was before--her only deficit seems to be when she's moving quickly/running--her hind end isn't fully under control. She is eating; so is Jack. She is going up and down steps; Jack is now willing to go to the basement, without being 'made' to go. Jack no longer seems to be afraid to go in and out the door. The behaviorist finally called me back--yesterday. She told me that it sounds like he was suffering from a sort of PTSD...she said she sees it all the time in shelter dogs. He must have been traumatized by the accident and Ruby not being here, and then her recovery, which was not at all our normal routine. She had a similar reaction from her non-grey when her greyhound got osteo and had an amputation--he also hid, etc., like Jack was doing. WHile I am thrilled that my sweet silly boy is back, I still fear for what will happen when Ruby is gone. She will be 12 on Thursday, so she's not a young dog!

The most wonderful thing is that she AND Rascal are still going to be around to celebrate their 12th birthday next Thursday! What with Rascal's cancer, and Ruby's accident, I had doubts that either one would make it to their 12th!!

There was never any doubt. She injured her neck when she tried to go through the screen door.

OK, I think it's safe to say that our dear Ruby is 99% BACK. Last night she followed DH relentlessly, begging for treats. This is remarkable, because that's her 'normal' thing to do . I say 99%, because her hind end still wants to swing around to the side when she's moving quickly, but that's OK. Perhaps next week's trip to the chiropractor will help that, but even if it doesn't, I don't care. She can now: --go potty without assistance --walk --trot --EAT!! She is eating ONLY dog food now, hooray!! --go up and down steps --beg Daddy for treats like before And to think that three weeks ago, we didn't even know if she'd make it through this....I call her "Ruby the Wonder Dog". What is perhaps even more remarkable--and sort of scary in a way--is that JACK is now much, much more 'normal'. His behavior seems to be directly proportional to Ruby's recovery. Now that she is eating normally, he is too. He is not hiding in the bedroom nearly as much, he plays before dinner like before...it's amazing. I say scary, because I do fear for the day when Ruby is gone...she and Rascal will be 12 next week, so it's not like Ruby is a young'un.

Anyone up for some MORE good news? Last night, while I was out, my DH went to the basement to put away some tools. He forgot to pull the door shut [we've only been leaving it open a crack, enough for the cat to get through, since Ruby got hurt]. Well, he turned around, and there were Rascal and Ruby! Ruby went down the steps BY HERSELF! He said she and Rascal then followed him back up, then down again! (He always gives them treats downstairs, hence Ruby's motivation. ) AND last evening she ate every bit of her dinner--1 cup of kibble with a bit of spaghettios and some canned dog food!! GO RUBY!!

Fortunately it was not spaghettios ON the sofa.... Yesterday Ruby tried running outside a little bit with Rascal and Jack. It was by no means pretty--her back end sort of slides around to the front--but she definitely tried! Made me just a bit nervous.... She is beginning to eat a little better, too. Nothing like normal yet, but better.

More progress...today Ruby was ON THE COUCH! Never thought I'd be happy about THAT!

WELL....the blood work is 'perfect'. So apparently Ruby is just very spoiled. She is at least coming to her bowl to eat today, even if she's only eating the spaghettios and not much of the dog food.

OK, I just did this cotton ball test with Jack, and he definitely saw them, watched them, and then thought it might be something to play with. I'd say he passed with flying colors. I emailed the 'behaviorist' our group recommends--on Tuesday--but have not heard back from her. I'm going to call someone else, someone my friend used.

Robin, Jack isn't due for a vet visit till September. I may take him in, though, if I have to take Ruby again soon.

We took her to the vet this afternoon. She's checking Ruby's blood work, to see if there's anything going on, causing her to not want to eat (such as pancreatitis). We should know the results by tomorrow. Ruby DID gain a pound since she was there almost two weeks ago, so at least she's not continuing to lose weight. Then again, she had a harness on this time, and did not the last time . I got a bottle of "flavor enhancer" for the food--basically brewer's yeast. Might work for Jack, too, since he's not eating very well lately. Then we went to get dog food, treats, cat food and litter, so Ruby got a little 'outing' at the food store. Home now, and worn out. Maybe the outing (vet, store) will stimulate her appetite a bit.

All she ate today was the few bites of meat roll, a hot dog, and the dog food/baby cereal that DD and I syringed into her.